In describing songwriting, Bob Dylan once suggested that songs are merely floating in a mental stream, and he simply reaches up every once in a while and plucks one as they float on by.
To that, Arlo Guthrie joked that he was just glad he didn't live downstream from Bob Dylan.
The bottom line is, if it were easy to be a good songwriter there would be more of them. And the fact there aren't that many good ones gives us far more reason to appreciate those we've got, most of whom continue to labor in obscurity.
Which is one very good reason to take a chance on new releases by any or all of four obscure singer-songwriters, each deserving of more attention than they tend to receive. An even better reason is all four offer some of the most substantive music available today.
The four are Billy Falcon's "Pretty Blue World," Michael McDermott's "620 W. Surf," Peter Well's "Everything You Like Tries to Kill You" and Joe Grushecky's "Swimming With the Sharks."
The releases share a lot of common ground. All are rooted in an acoustic folk-rock tradition and they all represent a from-the-heart populism that thumbs its collective nose at the superficial and commercial aspects of life. And they all sound a lot like John Mellencamp.
Falcon's release comes via the production of renowned producer Danny Kortchmar and rock 'n' roll icon Jon Bon Jovi, which might signal an unspoken intent to take Falcon into the mainstream. It probably won't happen, but the result is a remarkable album of folk-rock tunes that certainly deserves wider exposure.
Much in the Mellencamp style, Falcon combines soulful lyrics and a no-nonsense style to deliver powerful messages. One of the best is "Power Windows," a morality play about a rich man in a Mercedes Benz and a workin' man in a Dodge Dart. Of the latter, he sings:"He's got no power windows, got no power brakes, he got no power nothing, but he got what it takes. He's got Gracie's arms around him and a smile on his face. He's got the power of love."
Falcon's fourth album, "Pretty Blue World" is a mature perception of life, relationships and how human beings fit into the scheme of things. As he states on the title track:
"Man we get beat up. Time's taken more than its toll. When times get this tough it's time to take hold. I don't want to give up. It's a pretty blue world."
While Falcon takes a more personal approach to his songwriting, 22-year-old Michael McDermott's "620 W. Surf" attacks the political and social ills of society in a poetic anger similar to Dylan. And the most powerful words come in short bursts that dance upon the human mind until they find an inescapable home there.
For example, on the eclectic "Shadow of the Capitol," he sings, "Robin Hood, he's dancing in the ghetto, while the conservative wrestles with the radical." On the dark "Fool's Avenue," he laments, "Roses lost in the battle of beauty, soldiers lost in their tour of duty."
On the poignant title track he sings, "I read the pages from the book of truth, but there was a chapter missing on proof . . . I went to church just to pray, came back home feeling the same way."
McDermott is unquestionably an accomplished lyricist, but equally impressive is the way he wraps those lyrics in an acoustic-rock blanket that should be appealing to virtually anyone who likes fiber in their musical diet.
Like Falcon's "Pretty Blue World," McDermott's "620 W. Surf" is slickly produced and apparently geared for mainstream acceptance, all without compromising the lyrical integrity. The recording is produced by veteran producer Don Gehman and features guest performances by Bruce Hornsby.
Equally impressive is Peter Wells' "Everything You Like Tries to Kill You," a mix of old-fashioned rock 'n' roll, folk and story songs. For the most part, the songs delve into human emotions and human relationships in an un-sugar-coated sort of way.
Like McDermott, Wells' one- and two-liners grab straight for the emotional throat. Like, "Then one night a soul walked in and he realized his was gone," from "Something for the Rabbit," and "I can't tell the future, ain't got no crystal ball. Got fifty bucks in a bank somewhere, says my back's against the wall."
But Wells' music goes further than a catchy phrase. The songs, co-written by Lucy De Soto, are complete entities, each with a life of its own as various stories unfold in poetic detail.
The best of the bunch is "Between the Saddle and the Ground," a story of innocence and lies. "There's thunder and there's sunshine, everything else will tell you lies. But he's too young to really know, and too old to wonder why."
Joe Grushecky is not exactly a "new" songwriter in that he's been playing bars and clubs for 15 years, and he recorded several albums as a frontman for the Iron City Rockers. Nevertheless, he continues to wear obscurity despite some of the best songwriting to come out of the American heartland.
Grushecky and his band, the Houserockers, have just released "Swimming with the Sharks," an album that runs from blues to folk to rock 'n' roll, with several mutations of each. Each song is passionate and visionary, exploring a variety of human dreams and day-to-day survival.
Inspired by the lives and aspirations of those living in America's rust belt, "Swimming With the Sharks" is a pointed, working-class portrait with a multidimensional appeal. If the lyrics don't get you, the passion of the music certainly will. Like a tent preacher in peak form, Grushecky's music is simply mesmerizing.
Said critic David Wykoff, "There's no predicting whether this will be the final piece of the puzzle to push him over, but what I can say is that it's a most satisfying album by a writer who's never going to disappoint you."
Then again, the same thing should be said about Billy Falcon, Michael McDermott and Peter Wells.